New Delhi, Dec 27 Framing the MGNREGA changes as an ideological battle over equity, federalism, and Gandhian values, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday announced a nationwide movement to resist the changes.
Kharge set the tone for the agitation by questioning the government's priorities: "Why has the Central government destroyed a scheme like MGNREGS? You have endless money for the rich - who loot banks through massive loans - but no courage to give even 30 per cent to labourers? This shows they stand only with the rich, never with the poor."
He accused the BJP of ideological bias, saying, "Those who side with the rich will never support the poor. That's why we are fighting for the rights of the impoverished, and we will keep fighting."
Kharge also condemned the reported removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme as a profound insult.
"Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh transformed it into a rights-based law. Now, they are merely changing the name - but it's not just about the name. They cannot even tolerate Mahatma Gandhi's name because his full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. This is an attack on Gandhi ji himself, on the Father of the Nation."
Declaring unanimous support from the Congress Working Committee, Kharge pledged a vigorous nationwide agitation.
Rahul Gandhi built on this, describing MGNREGA as far more than a mere employment programme.
"It is a revolutionary rights-based framework and development model that has earned global acclaim," he said.
Recounting Kharge's travels, Gandhi noted, "Kharge ji visited 16 countries, and every one praised the Congress government for pioneering this entirely new concept of development intertwined with rights."
He charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with single-handedly destroying this legacy "without consulting his cabinet or studying the issue"—likening it to "demonetisation".
Gandhi called the alterations a "multi-pronged assault" on states by "stripping their funds and decision-making authority"; on rural infrastructure built through MGNREGA works; and on Indian labour by removing the "guaranteed wage floor".
"This is a devastating blow to India's states and its poor," Gandhi asserted. "It will inflict immense suffering on the most vulnerable—Adivasis, Dalits, OBCs, poor general category families, and minorities - while fully benefiting select industrialists.
The intent is clear: snatch money from the poor and hand it to the preferred rich, Rahul Gandhi alleged. Highlighting MNREGA's role in empowering local democracy, Gandhi added that the scheme injected funds directly into panchayats, fostering grassroots political action and decentralised governance.
"This is nothing less than an attack on our democratic structure, the third tier of government, and the foundational architecture of India."
Echoing Kharge's resolve, Gandhi declared, "We will resist this fiercely. We will fight it on the streets, and I am confident the entire opposition will stand united against it."
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